Draft:Talia Avrahami

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Talia Avrahami is an American-Israeli Orthodox Jewish educator, writer, and transgender advocate. She rose to prominence in 2022 after being fired from Magen David Yeshivah, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Brooklyn, after being publicly outed as a transgender woman. Her experience has sparked widespread discussion about the intersection of gender identity, halacha (Jewish law), and inclusion within Orthodox Jewish communities.

Early life and education

Avrahami was raised in a non-Orthodox Jewish household and became religiously observant (ba’alat teshuva) while studying in Israel, where she met her husband, Bradley Avrahami. The couple later moved to New York City, where she earned her Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School, graduating with distinction. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Social Studies from Brooklyn College and will soon begin doctoral studies in Educational Leadership.

Career and controversy

For approximately six years, Avrahami worked in Orthodox Jewish day schools, teaching Judaic Studies, Hebrew, and Social Studies. Her approach emphasized culturally responsive pedagogy, differentiated instruction, and historical literacy rooted in Jewish tradition.

In 2022, she joined Magen David Yeshivah as an eighth-grade social studies teacher. Within days, a video of her introducing herself at a parent night circulated online, revealing her transgender identity. Facing immediate backlash, she was fired from the school.

Shortly afterward, the Avrahami family was expelled from Shenk Shul, a synagogue affiliated with Yeshiva University, based on a halachic ruling by Rabbi Hershel Schachter that stated she should be treated as male under Jewish law, thereby barring her from women’s spaces.

A GoFundMe campaign titled "Stand with the Avrahamis" drew broad support across both Jewish and transgender communities.

Avrahami now teaches in the New York City Department of Education, where she brings a social justice and inquiry-based framework to middle school social studies classrooms.

Mentorship and professional leadership

Alongside her full-time teaching, Avrahami continues to mentor Jewish educators part-time and works as an independent educational consultant. She offers support in instructional design, inclusive hiring, and classroom culture rooted in Jewish values.

She is a moderator for the JEDLAB Jobs Facebook group, a major online hub for Jewish educational employment, where she collaborates with leaders including Sara Shapiro-Plevan and other members of the Gender Equity in Hiring Project.

Harassment and resilience

Avrahami has faced sustained online harassment, including transphobic attacks, doxxing, and stalking. A notable example includes a post on Reddit, where users targeted her and her family. Despite these challenges, she continues to speak publicly about her experiences and advocate for transgender inclusion in Orthodox Jewish spaces.

Religious recognition and community life

After her expulsion from Shenk Shul, the Avrahami family found full acceptance at Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights, where Talia is treated as a woman under halacha. She participates fully in synagogue life, including attending the women’s section and taking part in female-only events such as women’s Megillah readings and community challah bakes.

Avrahami follows the halakhic positions of Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, known as the Tzitz Eliezer, whose responsa recognize the halachic validity of gender transition under specific medical and legal conditions.

Several Roshei Yeshiva or head rabbis affiliated with Yeshiva University have privately and, in some cases, publicly affirmed her gender identity under halachic standards, offering an alternative to more exclusionary interpretations.

Her husband, Bradley Avrahami, is a popular adjunct professor of Hebrew at Yeshiva University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Jewish History at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.

The Avrahamis are widely regarded as a social cornerstone of the Washington Heights Orthodox community. Their home serves as a hub of hospitality and warmth, where they regularly host large Shabbat meals, onegs, holiday gatherings, and community events.

Media coverage and global response

Avrahami’s experience has received global attention:

• Interviewed on Channel 13 Israeli News (Reshet 13)
• Featured in The Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, i24NEWS, and Le Monde Juif
• A widely cited Forward op-ed by an Orthodox parent of a non-binary child invoked her story in calling for halachic space for transgender Jews.

Advocacy and community support

Avrahami is a board member of Rise Up YU, which supports transgender and queer students and alumni of Yeshiva University. Through this work and her own initiatives, she:

• Mentors Orthodox parents of transgender children
• Leads peer support networks for transgender Orthodox Jews
• Writes essays and commentary for Unorthoboxed and other Jewish media platforms.

Personal life

Talia lives in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with her husband, Bradley, and their daughter, Bracha. The family is fully observant—keeping Shabbat, kosher, and active synagogue life. Bracha attends an Orthodox Jewish preschool in Manhattan. The Avrahamis are dual citizens of the United States and Israel.

See also

• Transgender Jews
• Halakha
• Orthodox Judaism and LGBT issues
• Rise Up YU